


it's cuddle time

by Lkcsi



Category: Tales of Vesperia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-02
Updated: 2019-09-02
Packaged: 2020-10-05 13:07:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20489372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lkcsi/pseuds/Lkcsi
Summary: Flynn could tell that the old wound Yuri sustained so many years ago at Zaude bothered him more than he let on. Seeing the latter curled up on their bed pressing a pillow on his chest and stomach had made him decide to spend the night cuddling away the phantom pain.For the BottomLowell2k19 event on Tumblr. Prompt: heartbreak/confession.





	it's cuddle time

**Author's Note:**

> hello this work was written and posted within the time span of 4 hours. schoolwork is killing me. i am currently running on more caffeine my heart can take and a will to post more fluri fluff
> 
> this was also done as a self-challenge to write two gays comforting each other

The minute twitches of Yuri's lips and brows as he tried his damnedest to smirk at Rita and tease her about a certain pink-haired princess gave it all away to Flynn. Despite the knowledge Yuri could handle it on his own, Flynn loved him more than the stars and the moon and the universe, and he will never stop worrying.

Around three years ago, Yuri fell from Zaude. About a month and more after that, to Flynn, Yuri materialized out of thin air like a living ghost in the middle of a losing battle against monsters. Even if their friends had told him afterwards that Yuri was found in the Lower Quarter, went around the world to gather the Spirits, and went to save him, Flynn still believed earnestly that Yuri had emerged out of nowhere to fight with him. And that memory would be one to cherish for all of eternity, if it were not for what had followed. And what followed was a nightmare succeeding one of his best dreams, a nightmare of panic, of blood, of staying by a bedside humming healing artes. 

After the Vesperia No. 1 had been activated, Yuri had clutched his stomach in much pain, and when he lifted his hand to see his bloodied fingers he simply fell, unconscious and bleeding from a reopened healing wound. Until now Yuri never came forward as to what exactly that wound was, except that Flynn knew he sustained it around the time of his fall. He suspected it was a stab by a blade--rocks don't make clean scars like that.

The memory of it all still rained on some of his nights, the dark clouds only clearing away when the sun of his life would visit.

He held his breath and watched Yuri hold Rita by the forehead at arm's length, the wrathful mage attempting to lunge at him and completely forgetting about her new mana-powered magic. He noticed that little furrow of his brows and the beading sweat on his temple. Thankfully Rita disengaged, only to land a weak punch (Flynn knew the sight of a pulled punch and the sight of how Rita actually punched with force) low on Yuri's stomach before storming away. Yuri bent a little forward in an explicit display of pain, and Flynn just found himself by Yuri's side as if he had teleported there.

"Hey, that hurt," Yuri murmured to himself, rubbing his stomach, over the scar, and not really where Rita's punch landed. In a flash he was back to pretending the ghost of the scar didn't haunt him.

"Yuri," Flynn inched closer and gazed into those dark eyes, "are you alright?"

Yuri just waved a hand, typical for when he either wanted to say 'no problem' or when he didn't want to bother anyone with a burden he was carrying. Only Flynn would know, not even anyone in the Lower Quarter of Brave Vesperia could know his true body language. Flynn narrowed his eyes a little when Yuri finally responded, "I'm fine, Flynn. No need to worry."

_You know I can read you like an open book_, he wanted to say, but he bit it back with something much more neutral. He wasn't in the mood to fight Yuri in another tiny battle of wills, and in the name of love he formed a small plan in his mind. "Do you want to come to bed with me later after dinner?"

There the typical Yuri smirked and raised his brows, a knowing grin appearing on his lips. "Are you really that stressed out and happy to see me, Commandant? Not that I'm not glad, I'm just surprised."

Flynn felt some tension melt away, and he allowed himself to smile. His Yuri will always be like this. "Not that, you damn idiot. I wanted some cuddle time."

"Cuddle time."

"Yes, Yuri, cuddle time. You know, couples cuddle, just in case you weren't given the memo."

"At this point I just want to yell at everyone, hey, the Commandant wants some cuddle time."

He shook his head. "You wouldn't."

"Oh oh, I would, and I will." Yuri spun around and lifted a hand to hover by his mouth. "HEY, LISTE-"

Flynn swatted his lover's shoulder with a faint blush of embarrassment dusting his cheek. This only really caused the dark-haired trollmaster to chuckle for a moment before his happy expression suddenly fell off for a fraction of a moment, revealing a face almost bursting with pain and sorrow yet sustaining a small smile. A smile Yuri only wore when he wanted comfort. Flynn's breath hitched again, the suddenness of that nonverbal request was cause for at least some alarm. As soon as Yuri let it slip, he hid the vulnerability away, as if it never was there, yet that softer voice betrayed it.

"Flynn, can we just have cuddle time now instead of later?"

Without a word he nodded, and motioned his beloved Yuri to follow him to the Knights' Headquarters of Aurnion, and inside his personal chambers. He let Yuri in, and none of the knights patrolling their stations found it odd--Yuri being the lover of their Commandant was somewhat of an open secret, but what they did find odd was Flynn's requests for warm milk and honey. Flynn waited for it outside his room for a few minutes, not wanting anyone to come in while he cuddled his boyfriend. When it arrived, Flynn pushed that food cart inside, and the sight on his bed crushed his heart.

Yuri was lying down on his bed curled around a pillow he pressed so close to his stomach. He could hear almost-inaudible grunts and whines as he tried shifting around to relieve the phantom pains, but even if he did anything he could think of, the pain still coursed from the long-healed wound and throughout his body. Flynn couldn't watch him writhing anymore and so he quickly pushed the cart to the bedside, shed his armor, and hopped on the bed to wrap Yuri in his embrace.

"It's complete bullshit, I swear," Yuri spoke between clenched teeth, "it's been three years, Flynn. It still fucking hurts. Estelle's healed it a long time ago, it's all closed now, it's just a scar, but why?"

"I know... it's all going to be fine. I'm here." He snaked an arm under Yuri's neck and pressed his warm body to his back, curling around his shape to let his heat seep into the aching body. Yuri's hair, that long, wonderful, beautiful, fragrant hair, cascaded down as he pushed against his lover to let him fully feel that warm body.

"You don't think that's weak, do you?"

"Of course not, Yuri. It's not weak to feel pain."

"But it's been so long," he whispered, fingers gliding along the smooth surface of the pillow absentmindedly. "I... I know you know now... but you have to know from me. I fell off that... that giant engagement ring with this stupid wound, and it hurts, Flynn. It hurts."

The last words, that call of his name, that confession he held off for three years, they sounded like the beginnings of a sob. A wet sniffle and more adjusting confirmed it. Yuri went to lie on his back, still hugging the pillow, and he let Flynn see the tears on his eyes. The walls he normally put up around the majority of people crumbled down and exposed to the one person he trusted with his mind, heart, and soul the truth of his feelings, and that person would hold those feelings with the most care in the world.

"Yuri."

Yuri blinked, and a tear rolled down his temple. Pangs of fear and pain radiated in his heart when he turned to meet his sapphire gaze. "Hmm?"

"I'm here. I love you." Flynn scooted a bit closer and pressed a kiss on his lover's cheek. "You don't have to tell me who hurt you if you're not ready."

"I can't. I'm weak... it's bothering me so much, I don't des-"

"Shut up. I already told you. You're not weak for still feeling ghosts of pain, and especially that I know that you're still afraid of it happening to you. _I'm_ afraid of it happening to you again."

Yuri sucked in a deep breath and closed his eyes, resting all the weight of his head on the pillow and letting the balled-up emotions and memories out. He felt rough thumbs wipe away the silent tears he cried.

"I'm afraid of losing you." Those words were barely above a whisper, a statement more suited to a confession to the shadows. He pulled back his arm to prop himself up on it. His blue gaze settled on dark watery eyes, the sight of it bringing his own eyes to tear up, before leaning in to place a chaste kiss on chapped lips. It was a short kiss, but nonetheless passionate.

"Flynn," he breathed out when they parted, "I... I love you. Don't go."

"I love you, too. May I listen to your heartbeat, Yuri?"

Yuri moved the pillow away wordlessly, allowing Flynn to rest his head on his chest, ear pressed to hear the thumping of his heart. Lithe fingers carded through his short choppy hair, soft to the touch, almost glowing in the dim light.

"You're not alone in feeling phantom pains from your fall, dear."

Normally Yuri would react to that pet name with some vitriol, but he only let out a tiny huff and began ruffling Flynn's golden hair. Flynn let his palm rest over where the scar was, keeping his touch as light as possible but heavy enough to press soothing warmth to replace the tingling torment.

"I never really told you, but... the entire time you were missing, when I scoured the entire world for you, I couldn't rest. I couldn't go to sleep without dreaming of myself watching you fall off to your death and I was too paralyzed to do anything. I felt so helpless in those nightmares that every time I woke up, I demanded reports on you. It had gone on for weeks, and there was nothing. Once I had the scare of my life when a blastia bracelet was found in the reef near Zaude, but it wasn't yours.

"Still I was scared you were gone for good, Yuri... I then started having nightmares about finding pieces of you floating around. And when I was in the fray of monsters, I started thinking... maybe I should give it up and die there, if it... meant joining you."

"Flynn, no... I'm here."

He listened to Yuri's voice echo through his chest. The steady thumping of his heart inside, signifying that he was truly in his arms, alive, breathing... Flynn pressed further and placed little kisses over his lover's heart.

"I'm just glad you're here with me. It's the greatest comfort in the world." He let his own tears fall, and he knew Yuri could feel dampness on his chest. He lifted his head from his chest to look at him again. "Can you imagine... can you see how happy I was when you came?"

The smile that formed on Yuri's lips was quivering, keeping himself from bursting into a mess of emotion. "You were smiling. I remember. You had this big smile on your dirty face." He blinked a tear away and laughed.

He had no time to think before his mouth blurted out an unfiltered confession. "I just wanted to make out with you when I saw you."

"In front of the monsters? Could have worked. They'd see us tonguing each other and they'd just turn and say, 'oh no, these gay humans are initiating a mating ritual!' and foot it."

That got them both to burst into laughter. Flynn let his head fall back onto Yuri's chest a little hard, but the latter paid no attention. He was busy shaking, giggling. When the laughing petered out and died down, Flynn was the first to break the quiet.

"You're such a joker, Yuri."

"Can't say I like seeing you cry."

"I don't like seeing you suffer, too," he said softly as he went back to his original position and cupped Yuri's cheek, "I love you so much. Please stay with me."

"Don't go away, Flynn."

"I'm here."

Yuri's back turned to face Flynn as he put his arm under his neck again, sighing deeply when Flynn's free arm wrapped him close in a hug. Flynn pulled the pillow for his beloved to embrace over the scar that pulsed now only with a dull ache. Long minutes of them just listening to each other breathe and basking in each other's heat passed, palms rubbing over goosebumps on skin and fingers sometimes crossing together. Long after the sun had set, Yuri yawned and then instinctively crushed the pillow closer.

"Seems like I was the one who actually wanted cuddle time," Yuri muttered drowsily.

"I'll cuddle with you as long as you want. I love cuddle time."

"Me too. I wanna cuddle all night. I don't want to skip dinner, though."

"There's warm milk and honey on the food cart."

Silence.

"Yuri, you'd better not be planning on drinking the honey jar and licking it dry."

"Too late, Commandant. I'm already planning on it."

"Oh? Then I guess I'll have to pin you down like this."

One leg was then slung over Yuri's waist, and both shared a small moment of laughs before snuggling back together in each other's embrace.


End file.
